Latch bolt



Y Jan. 12, 1932. J. l.. scRlvENER LATCH BOLT 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fi1ed June l0, 1.929

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Jan- .12, 1932- v J. l.. scRl'vENER 1,840,416

LATCH BOLT Filed June 10, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 12, 1932 PATENT oFFlcE JOSEPH LOUIS SCRIVENER, OF MCLEAN, VIRGINIA LATCH BOLT Application filed June 10,

rlhis invention relates to improvements in latches, and more particularly concerns the 10 made and simply installed latch which may be attached to a door, for example, by boring two holes through the door structure, and

providing a simple recess for the latch bolt` late. 15 4Another feature of this invention is the provision of means wherebythe latch bolt may be blocked againstmovement by operation of a blocking plungerreadily accessible to a person at one side of the door.

'A further feature of the invention is the provision of this blocking plunger in the 4form of a member sliding in a hollow knob shaft and engaging with the latch bolt proper to'block it againstretractive movement, 5 whereby the latch bolt assembly and the knob assembly are both fixed rigidly against move-- ment when the plunger is in' the blocking position. Y y l Still another feature of the invention is the 30 provision of a knobfshaft which is rigid with the knobs and is prevented from axial movement of displacement by its operative engagement with the latch bolt assembly.

Furth er objects and features of this invention will appear in the course of the following specification and claims.

ln the drawings is set forth an illustrative form of practicing the invention, in which:

Figurel yis a horizontal sectional view sub- 5 moved from the hollow knob shaft.

stantially on line 1-1 of Fig. 2, showing thev 1929. Serial' No. 369,717.

Figs. 6 and 7 are respective end views of this plunger.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the latch bolt re moved from the latch bolt tube.

Fig. 9 is a corresponding side elevation of the latch bolt.

FFig. 10 is a sectional view on line 10-10 of- Fig. 11 is an end elevation of the spring stop plate for the latch bolt.

Fig. l2 is a side elevation of the latch bolt tube.

Fig. 13y is an inner end elevation of the same. A

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary lsectional view corresponding to a part of Fig. 2, with the knob shaft rotated through an angle of 90..

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of the securing slider for the spring stop plate.

The latch according to the present invention comprises two assemblies which may each l belocated substantially in a cylindrical hole bored in the door, these holes being located at right angles to one another and extending y respectively from the edge of the door for the 7 latch bolt assembly and between the faces of the door for the knob shaft assembly. The latch bolt assembly is firstl located in its hole, and then the knob shaft assembly is brought into position and engagement with the latch bolt assembly, and thereafter the parts are held in their relative positions so that theyy reciprocally sustain one another against axial movement except as controlled by the knobs. The latch bolt assembly includes a bridge member operable by a cam on the knob shaft assembly for the retraction of the latch bolt: while the knob shaft assembly further includes an axially movable plunger adapted to be moved past the bridge wherewith the bridge is located between the cam and the plunger so that both the knob shaft and the latch bolt are held against movement in such blocking position of the plunger. Y Referring to the drawings, the door D is provided with a cylindrical bore hole E extending from its edge and of a suilicient diameter to receive the latch bolt tube 10: while a cylindrical bore hole F extends from facev Eat substantially a right angle, and permits the reception of the knob shaft. It is preferred to provide the latch bolt tube 10 with an edge flange or plate 11 (Fig. 2) projecting upwardly and downwardly, and receivable in a shallow mortise 12 provided in the edge of the door. From Fig. 13 it will be seen that the upper and lower ends of this flange l1 arc rounded, and the llange itself is of the same diameter as the tube 10 proper, so that the workman may formthe mortise'12-by simply 9., for the reception ofthe-beveled striking end 13,ofythelatchbolt(proper. "The interiorot the tube 10 `is"formed with the recessed. guide portions l14 toreceive .the sliding members 1.5 ofthe latch bolt and to form a primary guidel for them Withrespectto rotation about the axis of the latch bolttube, being assisted in thislbygthe engagement of the latch bolt end 13 with vthe V wallsof the opening 11a. The latchV bolt tube 10 fhasapair of alinedtrans- ...verse nopenings 16 therethrough.

gflhelatcjh bolt properhas the sliding members lrigifdlyconnected to thefbeveled end 13 andextendingin,parallelism inwardly and being connected atthe 4extreme inner` ends by alatch bltbridge 17 AThese sliding members lfhaveitwo pairs of alined slots 18a-nd y19 therein, ofwhich the slot 19has its'inner ends terminating substantially flush .with the outward'face of the bridge 17. The pair of slots 18 receive the ends204ofthe spring stopplate 2.1. 'Ihelatch spring22is received over the inwardly-,projecting'lug,23 on the inner surface ofthe beveled kend `13, and vis secured vby a 4clamping screw 24 to the relatively ontvwarfdly directed surface .o f thespring stop plateQl.

'The knobshaft'is assembled rigidly with thegknobs'K, Ka. The shaft proper is illustratedasfbeing formed of vthree parts, com- 'prisinggthe outdoor end section 30, the indoor end sectionf31 ,anda central section 32 having A al middle ,portion Ynf the same diameter as ,the ends .'30 and 31, but itself having reduced endsv fitting within the end -portions 3Q, 31 andflixedlysecured thereto VVas lby screws 34. TheknobsK, Kfz-may be of any desired pattern, ,and :identical .in form, beingprovided withfthesleeves 35 .which fit over-the outerends of theishaft portions 30,

Slandmaybeprovided interiorly `with the pins 36 which are received in notches 37 formed inthe respective ends of the shaft whereby the knobs are prevented from rotation upon the shaft in case the knob securing screws 38 become loose or be withdrawn.

The shaft end 31 at the interior of the door is provided with alined opposite slots 39 which have the small depressions l40, 40a formed therein near the opposite ends (Figs. 1 and 3) these depressions narrowing toward ithe exterior of the shaftportionBl so that the respective slot has straight external edges from end toend.A

`Received within the shaft end 31 is a plunger member 41 adapted to slide axially inthistube land having a notch 42cut from the end adjacent the inner knob to receive the .Screw 38 when the plunger is slid v.back and forth. This plunger likewise has 4a. tongue 43 guided in the interior of the hollow .central .portion 32ofthe shaft and in part bythe securing screw 34. `The plunger isprovided with atransverse hole-44 having extending grooves V45 opposite ,one `another and in a Ypla-ne .at-:a Iright angle tothe axis of the plunger. n'

Spring cups /are adapted to lslide in the holey 44. and in the respective slots 39, being hollow to receive the blocking spring `51 located between.' them `and tending at all times kto v`force them -relatively outwardly. The cups are likewise each provided with thefears 52 .which may slide in thefextending grooves 45 of theplunger 41, or be yreceived in ythe notches 40, l40a whereby `.inthe latter position tolock the plungeragainst axial movement in one direction or the other.

, The central member32 offthe knob shaft is provided at the point opposite thebridge 17 of the latch'bolt with acam member 60 which extends beyond the cylindrical surface ofthe knob vshaft portions 30, 31,32: this member 32 being cut away at 62 opposite this cam by an axial distance correspond ing to the thickness of the'vbridge member 17 (Fig. 8), so that the flat bridge member may enter this cut away portion 62 (Fig. 2) when the beveled end 13 of the llatch bolt moves to 'its projected position.

y"The initial assembly oftheparts of the latch bolt may be accomplished as follows: The latch bolt spring 22 is fastened to the spring stop plate 21`by`the screw 24, and by rocking this plate with respect to the axis of the latch-bolt slide members 15, the'ends 2O of the stop plate are Vbrought. into their intended position inthe slots 18, and the other end of the spring 22 engaged over' the lug k23. This sub-assembly is then simply slid into-'the latch vbolt :tube 10,:the slider members115 being guided in the recessed portions 14 of the tube 10. An instrumentisthen'introduced through the innerlendof the tube lotodepress the spring stop vplate 21 slightly whereby tofexposefi-eely one offthe openings vmoving end through the inner end of tht'l "tube10, until this inner end 1s brought into the opposite opening 16, whereupon the cen A I tral vportion of this pin 65 is forced by the are inserted in the plunger 41, and upon deit will be seen that this hole F is somewhat spring 22 intothe securing position shown y:in Fig. ll. The latch bolt assembly is now complete. f

:The initial knob shaft assembly may be accomplished by locating the ends 30, 31 upon the central portion 32 and securing them thereon. The spring 51 and spring cups 50 pressing these cups, thefplunger is forced intotheopening of the shaft end 31, and pushed along until )the spring cups are I`forced outward bythe spring 51 into the slots 39.

lVhen the door. has been properly bored with the holes vE, F and the mortise 12 formed therein, the latch bolt assembly is forced into the cylindrical hole'E,.-and issecured there by the wood `screws 70 passing through suitable aperturesfin the end flange 11, and it will be remarked that by having the end flange 11 of semicircular end formation, these `screws will enter the holes formed by the naugur bit in producing the mortise 12. It

will be understood that the center of the hole F is located a predetermined distance from the edge of the doorcorresponding to the size of theL latch members7 and from Fig. 1

larger than the external ,diameter of the knob shaft including the cam 60. j With the latch bolt assembly in position, the beveled end 13 y ofthe latch bolt is pushed'inward to the re- ""tracted position, and the end 30 of the knob shaftis passed through the opening existing beta/eenY the latch bolt slider 15, the bridge 17 and the securing pin 65. It will be noted that the cam() is of substantially the same thickness as the bridge 17, and this in turn ofthe lsame thickness as the width of the slots 19.(Fig. 8) and that the chord defining the cut away portion opposite the cam 60 (Figs-2 and 14) is not longer than the exter nal diameter of the knob shaft members 30,

31, 32, sort/hat the knob shaft can slide freely into the aforesaid space adjacent the bridge 17 when it is in the position shown in Fig. and the'latch bolt has been fully retracted. and the knobshaft is occupying a position slightly nearer the edge of the door than that which it will occupy when secured in itsfinal location. As soon as the knob shaft is in its iproper'posit-ion, the beveled end 13 is ro leased so that the bridge 17 enters the cut away portion 62. The hanged knob shaft journal members 71 are then slipped over the ends 30 and 31 of the knob shaft, after suitable depressing of the spring cups 50 in the case of the latter end 31, and brought up flush against the faces of the door D; the axis of the knob shaft is now displaced a short distance away from the edge of the door and the journal members or face plates 7l are secured in such position by screws 72 so that a firm support is afforded for the knob shaft. The respective knobs may now be slid over the ends of the knob shaft and secured thereto by the screws 38.

The latch may be disassembled and yremoved from the door in an inverse manner. as for example by removing the knob K and the screws 72. The beveled end 13 of thel latch bolt is then pushed to its extreme position, while the knob shaft moved closer toward the edge of the door, and then pulled toward the right in Fig. 1 so that it may be totally withdrawn. The screws may then be removed and a tool introduced through the hole F to force the latch bolt and its sleeve assembly out of the holeE.

The operation of the device when assembled in the door is as follows: lVith the parts in the positions of Figs. 1 and 2,'if either knob is rotated, the central member 32 of the rigid knob shaft is likewise rotated so that a ycorner of the cam portion GO is forced with a sliding movement against the face of the bridge 17, to produce a movement of the bridge toward the right in Fig. 2, against the action of the return spring 22 until the position of Fig. 14 is reached. At this position, by reason of the relative location of the axis of the knob shaft with respect to the edge of the door, the slider members 15 of the latch bolt have been retracted or moved,

toward the right in Fig. 2 until the outer end of the slot 18 has been brought into contact with the proj ccting lugs 20 of the spring stop plate, this stop plate 21 havingr been held in position by the lockin r pin G5 secured in the latch tube 10. This rornis a stop or arresting point for the retractive movement of the latch bolt, so thatu the knob shaft cannot be .i

turned through 360. During the rocking of the knob shaft and the movement therewith of the bridge 17 and the other elements of the latch bolt proper, the projecting external portion of the cam 60 passes into one of the i slots 19, and hence the knob shaft is prevented from axial movement while in such rotated position, just the same as it has theretofore been prevented from axial movement by the engagement of the bridge 17 in the cut-away portion 62.

Upon releasing the knob, the spring 22 acts to project the latchy bolt end 13 and by the slider members 15 operates to force the bridge 17 against the cam 60, thus causing a llO return rotation of the-knob shaft vand knob tothe position shown in Fig. 2.

It willparticularly be noted that by turning the latch bolt'tube 10 and associated parts 5gthrough 1800, the latch bolt is changed for operation with'a door swinging from the opposition side rof the door jam, without necessitating any `change whatsoever in the methodqof drilling the holes Or in the arrange- ;nient and location of the knob shaft and knobs. Likewise, the knob shaft and knobs are made substantially symmetrical so that the end 30 of the knob shaft may be introduced through the latch bolt .assembly from either side ofthe door, so that the blocking knob Ka may be located on either side ,of the door as preferred; and that if so desired the knob Ka may be reversed from one side of the-door to the otherby the sin- Agle operation of releasing the screws 72 and 38, removing lthe knob l38 and one face plate 71 from the knob shaft, withdrawing `the knob shaft from the door and then inserting it from the other side, replacing the face plate 71 and then the screws 72 andBS. A

lnorder to block the latch so that the door is'secur-ed immovably from one side, the spring cups 50 are depressed `between thumb and finger and forced relatively toward the door. As soon as the lugs 52 have cleared the corresponding ynotches 40, this movement is easily effected. Therewith, the plunger 41 is forced ltoward the left in Fig. 1, so that thetongue 43 engages relatively behind thebridge 17, which as shown in Fig. 2 is then resting against the flat inner side of the cam member 60. In this way, the bridge 17 is held fixedly by engagement on both sides thereof whereby the latch bolt and its beveled end 13 are prevented from movement s0 that'the door cannot be released by thepintroduction of a pryingtool against the kbeveled end 13. Further, the bridge 17 serves as a key between the cam and the tongue 43 to prevent any rotation of the knob shaft, which latter being rigidly connected to the knobs K and Ka, results in the ypreventing of any movement of these knobs either from one side or the other. The lugs 52 on the spring cups 50 enga-ge in this blocking position of the plunger 41 in the notches 40a on the shaft end 3l, so that no jarring or wrapping upon the door will cause an accidental or other undesired release of the blocking action.

Then it is desired to release the latch, a lperson standing on 'the side of the door represented by the knob Ka, again depresses the spring cups 50 between thumb and linger vand slides them toward the knob Ka, wherewith the tongue 43 of the plunger 41 is withdrawn from engagement with the bridge 17, so that now the latch can be operated freely, ,as before, from either side of the door.

(55 It will 'particularly be noted vthat it is necessary .to operate both of Tthe cups 5()y in order to secure a movement of the plunger 41,'thusafi'ording a further:assuranceagainst accidental displacement, lor operation by a young child.

It is obvious that the invention is not Sli-mited .tothe particular form of execution-described and illustrated, but that it may be employed in many Wayscwithin the` scope `of the appended claims. Y

VVhatIclaim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent isr:

1. -In a latch, a housing, .a bolt slidable y'in said housing, interengaging-.meansonthe bolt and housing to prevent rotation of the fbolt about its axis, a spring to project said bolt, and means rigid with the housing .to cause a compressione-f said spring when the bolt is retracted, said means including a removable member secured in position in said housing by the pressure'of said spring,'said member upon yremoval Apermitting the withdrawal of the remainder of said means, `said bolt and spring from said housing.

l 2. ln :a latch, a housing, .a bolt lslidable in said housing, and having intersecting llongitudinal openings therein, a spring located in one of-saidopenings andacting upon the'bolt to project the same, means lrigid with the housing and extending through another 'of said openings to cause a'compre-ssion of said spring when the bolt is retracted, said means cooperating with --the `wall of said other opening Ito limit vthe movement of said bolt, and means en gageable with said bolt to retract the same. f

3. ln a latch, an axially movable bolt, an operating shaft having la knob at its end, interengaging means `on said boltand shaft to prevent axial movement of the shaft and to cause axial movement of said rbolt wh-en the shaft is rotated, a plunger mounted yin and movable axially along said sha-ft .to cooperate with said interengaging ymeans to prevent movement Vof said bolt andan operating device operatively engaged withsaid plunger and extending to the exterior of said shaft between said bolt and knob for moving said plunger. i

4.. In a latch, a slide bolt, a hollow shaft haying a longitudinal slot therein, said shaft being cut away to receive `the bolt in its .projected position and to provide a bolt actuating cam for moving the bolt to the retracted position, said bolt having a bridge to enter said cut away portion and to cooperate with said cam, a plunger-having atongueand slidablylocated in said hollow shaft, and havin a transverse hole opposite said slot, vsaid plungerbeing movable inthe direction of said shaft to press said tongue in yengagement with the side of said bridge opposite said cam whereby'to ret-ain the kbolt against retraction, a spring cup movable `in Asaid hole and slot and adapted 'to lbe moved inward "by direct manual engagement, a spring to force said cup outward, and means to limit the inward movement of said cup and to retain the cup in a predetermined position in said slot, said cup while in an inwardly moved position being free of said retaining means so that the plunger may be moved axially in said shaft by a manual axial movement of the inwardly pressed cup. Y f

5. A latch as in claim 4, in which a bearing member is provided for the shaft Aand to be `secured to the door, said cam extending beyond the shaft periphery thereby preventing the movement of said member from end to end of said shaft, said spring cap being depressible beneath the peripheral surface of 

